Daywalker
by samunra
Summary: A world ruled by Vampires where the our hero is a half human half vampire Daywalker
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 or Sailor Moon. They are owned by Rumiko Takahase and Naoko Takeuchi respectively. I am just borrowing them to play in my alternate universe. I do this purely because I am bored and need to get a life but hey that's as good a reason as any. I am also borrowing the concept of the Daywalker from Marvel' Comics.  
  
Prologue:  
  
In Hindu mythology it is said that the Earth was created by God by churning the Oceans of Time and Space and the five elements that form life on this planet were mixed together in this melting pot to give rise to the first organism. It is also said that God repeats the process after each Age of mankind. I don't know if this is fact or fiction and I don't care. What I do know is that the Earth as I know it was created by man in a deluge of fire and water until two thirds of the human population was swallowed whole by the seas and oceans. No one really knows who started this deluge but all agree that when it ended it left the skies darkened by a dust cloud and those who perished were the lucky ones.  
  
For in darkening the skies till the Sun shone through once every 4 days, mankind had effectively made itself the prey of the top predator on the planet. That which till then walked in shadows of the night, always hidden from the eyes of humans and the light of the Sun. Only now they were free to roam for three days before resting on the fourth. Numbers were always in the favor of humans and that is what kept us safe. After all what are a few hundred thousand dead humans a year when there are billions more on the planet . The Human race would go on but the Deluge changed all that . Radioactive ash and dust and lack of food ,clothing, medicine and shelter took another third of those who lived the Fire. In the end a billion beings survived but a billion who were in disarray and ripe for conquest. So it was that They arrived. Vampires. Bloodsuckers. They made us cattle and slaves, much like we did to farm animals. Good for blood and sport and pleasure but of little value other wise. Of course humans could be turned if bitten but the Vampires were adamant about not giving their power to the Humans. No they much preferred sucking their victims dry. Of course they did suffer a set back when the cloud cover over the planet was dissipated over the years allowing the suns rays to hit the Earth although diffused. It still was deadly to them. But they survived the climatic change. And as they say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.   
  
They made a mistake though, these things that considered themselves the top of the food chain. They made me.   
  
I am known by many names. I was given the name Ranma by my parents, born to the clan Saotome, a proud and noble Samurai family in the year 234 A.H. The A.H. stands for After Hell. That is how humans refer to the Event I have described above. But getting back to who and what I am. I prefer to be called by my given name by my friends but to those I hunt I am called Daywalker.  
  
I was created because a vampire bit my mother, Nodoka Saotome when I was still in her belly. Like I said vampires like to drain the victim dry. This one was interrupted by my father, Genma and his silver sword aptly named Ichibun, 'Honor'. Did I mention that vampires and silver don't get along? Let's just say that they make an explosive mix. Oh they don't appreciate the taste of garlic as well. Although the reaction is different. Garlic causes them to just fade away. So anyway back to how I came to be.   
  
My mother survived though she was different. She was changed . Not a full vampire like her sire. No she was somewhere in between me and that. See the way I see it, Vampirism is a the result of a parasitic virus. And like any parasite the virus needs to grow and change. In me the virus was mutated into something that gave me all the benefits of a Vampire but only one of the weakness. I have the Thirst but I also have the enhanced strength, speed and vision. With my mother, the virus took a slightly different route probably because her sire couldn't drain till the point of death when the body loses most of its blood and white blood corpuscles. She is called Twilight by the Vampires we hunt and the name suits her to a tee. She is not as strong or as fast as a full Vampire but her reflexes far outstrip most humans. She can survive garlic and silver and mild sunlight. The noon day sun would cook her, mind you. So the only time she stays away from t he sun is the period from noon till four in the afternoon. And she doesn't have the Thirst. Why that is so we don't know but I for one am glad for that small mercy. The Thirst is alluring. It pulls at me, forever making me fight to control myself. But I am getting beside the point.  
  
The point as I mentioned before was that Vampires were no longer the top of the food chain. I was.   
  
When I came of age I swore the same oath my parents did right after the attack.   
  
The Oath of the Hunter.   
  
The Oath that forever binds me and others who swear it to hunt the Vampires.  
  
Till the day that we depart this Earth.  
  
My mother and father created the Order of the Hunter and to this day follow its code. What they started has now grown to include hunters all over the world and they are a force to reckon with. Most towns and human settlements have at least one Hunter. They even trained me since childhood to follow the code and made sure I was ready for anything. Today on the day of my eighteenth birthday, I am on my way back to Nerima with them to uphold an old promise. 


	2. Nerima nights

Chapter 1:   
252 A.H   
The face of the Earth was irrevocably changed over two hundred and fifty years ago. The actual destruction was not caused by the nuclear holocaust but rather by the climatic changes it wrought. The main problem that arose was the rather dramatic rise in temperatures. The Polar Ice caps started to melt which led to great Tidal waves in major coastal cities. New York, London, Tokyo Bombay, Hong Kong all were buried under a deluge of water. Combined with the radioactive rain, those first survivors were subjected to the harshest conditions that man had faced.   
Though things had improved a lot since then , the weather was still unpredictable. This night though was a clear cloudless night. It was also the night of the full moon when the Vampires were at their strongest. It was a night when people were asked to stay at home behind barriers of garlic , silver and wood.   
So naturally, Kenji was suspicious when he saw a girl step into the Bass Rocker. The nightclub was a well known hangout for denizens of the night and was generally avoided by humans unless they were familiars. Even the familiars didn't come in on the night of the Full Moon. This one smelled human and most definitely was not the familiar of anyone he knew. She was one heck of a hot number, though with her short brown hair and dressed as she was in black leather pants and a long black coat which hid what seemed from the distance as a pretty nice bust. Kenji was a young vampire and had grown up weaned on tales of vampire invincibility and that humans were nothing more than cattle to use, abuse and discard. Kenji was a connoisseur of the female form and like many of his kind appreciated a fine figure. He also thought he was Gods gift to women. He was about to be proved wrong on the second idea.   
"Hey cutie, looking for someone."   
The girl turned her dark brown eyes towards him and gave him a condescending smirk, "Actually I was just casing out the place."   
"Oh, what for? Planning on robbing the place? " Kenji chuckled at the idea. It was ludicrous to even consider the thought. No one robbed a Vampire and lived to tell the tale. Especially a weak human female.   
" Actually, I plan on killing all the vampires here and then robbing them but hey you need to start somewhere, so might as well start with you."   
"Yeah right like I will....Urk" Those were Kenji's last words as he stared stupidly at the neat little silver dagger stuck in his heart. His last thought though was 'Hunters'.   
The minute the girl withdrew the dagger, the dead vampires body started to disintegrate. The surrounding vampires suddenly realized that something was not right and turned to find out what was going on when they were interrupted by the girl pulling a Uzi from her coat and sending a bullet through each of their hearts. Seven were down before the others realized they were under attack. By this time the girl had swiftly made her way to the exit and thrown it open to admit another two women, both attired somewhat similar but brandishing different weapons. The older one carried a shotgun and she was already using it to good effect. Of the one hundred odd vampires in the place, 20 were already down under the combined assault of the three women.   
The rest were trying to attack the girls to get to the only exit from the nightclub . They were being held at bay by the third woman who carried an M-60 like it was a child's toy, but was deadly efficient in the way she was placing bullets into various body parts of the assembled guests. Her compatriots, on either side of her, picked off the stragglers. When she finally stopped the hail of bullets the only survivors in the place were the few who had found cover behind the overturned tables.   
Of course once the vampires realized that there were only three women they regained their courage. The fact that the three women had killed over 90 of their kind didn't really register with this bunch, which was made of lowly soldiers in the hire of the local Vampire Lord. Not much on brains, lots of brawn.   
The girl with short brown hair in a pageboy cut, who had entered the nightclub first relayed a series of hand signals while holstering her Uzi and drawing her daikatana. In perfect silence the girl with the M-60 added a new belt of ammunition to the gun and went to stand by the door. Nobody was going to leave here except the Hunters and no one would enter until their work was done. The third girl had long brown hair tied in a ponytail over one shoulder and looked to be the oldest of the three, the way the other two seemed to defer to her slightly. She just took a place near the bar, placing the shotgun on the table beside her and observed her sister at work. They all had been trained to do this job from childhood and they were considered the best Hunter pack in the city of Nerima. Of course, being daughters of martial artists was an advantage but not everyone knew of their nightlife it was safer this way for friends and family. The reason they had maintained their secrecy was that they never left any survivors on nest raids. Her sister was well on her way to ensuring that there would be none here. It was weird to think that they had become more powerful than most of the low level vampires.   
Her distraction was what the only Vampire, behind the bar, was looking for, as he reached for her shotgun. What he didn't count on was her being faster than him, both in beating him to the gun as well as releasing a throwing star at him. He ducked to avoid the star which gave her ample time to get her weapon and blow a hole in him.   
When she looked up the only people left in the room were her sisters who were busy looking around the nooks and crannies for any stragglers. Only when the all clear was sounded, did she relax and speak to her sisters through the communication units they had fixed to their ears.   
"Akane, check the cellar for any prey these bloodsuckers may have collected. Nabiki, you are going valuable hunting. I need to see if Sayuri is still alive and human if not…" As leader of the pack, Kasumi had the unenviable task of ensuring a victim did not rise. She visibly shook herself at the thought of staking their friend but it was the only way to prevent her rise as one of the vampires. She watched as Akane opened the door leading to the cellar and disappeared from view.   
"Sayuri will be fine, Onee-chan, you have to believe that. After all we were on the trail as soon as the phone call came through. You know that she was taken as the prize for the evening"   
"I know, Nabiki but all it takes is one bite and she would be lost."   
"Actually, that is not what I heard, Onee-chan. It is rumored that the founder of the Order is a woman who survived a Vampire Lord's bite. It is also said that she was pregnant at the time and gave birth to the one called Daywalker."   
"I thought the Daywalker was a myth. Something the Vampire Lords came up with to explain the losses their kind has suffered at the hands of human Hunters in recent times. What was the count at the last census of Hunters? Some twenty five Vampire Lords in the last three years."   
"Not true, I know for a fact that the Elder knows Twilight and was there for the Daywalker's birth. She won't tell me more than the fact that they exist. I should know, I tried to get it out of her in so many ways. That should be one hell of a story. Besides you know of the twenty five we in Nerima accounted for one and I know that of the rest of the Hunters, only the New England, Paris and Hague packs claimed nine between them. So that leaves more than 15 unaccounted for. Who claimed them? Hey Tomboy, you all clear down there."   
There was a long period of silence and Nabiki started to get worried. Usually Akane would vehemently deny that she was a tomboy. Just as she was about to make her way down she heard Akane's shaky voice, "Nabiki….Onee-chan, it's horrible. Get down here. I found Sayuri."   
Fearing the worst, both sisters sprinted for the cellar. The sight that greeted them left them more than a little nauseated. There was what looked to be a human pinned to the wall. The look of horror etched on his face was a testament to the manner of his death. He had been split open from below the neck to the crotch and he was covered by numerous bite marks. All the while he had been bleeding his blood into a vat located below him.   
"Akane, where are you? Is Sayuri all right?" Kasumi was even more anxious about Sayuri after observing the corpse.   
"Small door on your left, Onee-chan. Sayuri is fine. Shaken but fine and clear."   
The last word told both sisters that their friend was human. They both entered the room to see Akane sitting on the ground holding a bawling Sayuri. The minute Sayuri saw Kasumi she ran over to her and threw herself in Kasumi's arms sobbing all the time. All the sisters heaved a sigh of relief. One crisis averted.   
"There, come on Sayuri, its okay you are safe now." Kasumi's soft voice and the gentle rocking had a desired effect on her friend as she calmed down enough to favor her saviors with a tremulous smile. Over Sayuri's head, Kasumi signaled Nabiki to make the call.   
"Elder, delivery in ten minutes. Clear." The words would make no sense to anyone eavesdropping on the conversation but to the Elder it told her all she needed to know.   
Once that task was completed she looked at her sisters and Sayuri with that familiar smirk on her face. "What say, we get the hell out of this rat hole?"   
"For once I agree with you, Nabiki and don't think I forgot that Tomboy crack, Mercenary."   
"Now there is the sister I know and love. Lets go."   
Their departure was as efficient as their arrival. Of course they left a small package to clean the remnants of the place sort of give the land a reason to be reborn. Fire does cleanse the soul after all.   
**********************************************************************   
The Elder, was at that moment explaining to a grateful couple that their daughter was safe. She was Khu Lon, leader of the Amazons of Joketsuzoku. She had lived through the Hell and had been a part of the struggle against the Vampire Lords long before the Order ever existed. She had lost so many battles against them that she had almost lost faith. What had changed her mind was the remarkable survival instinct of mankind. It was demonstrated most vividly eighteen years ago, when she had observed the birth of a remarkable child and the struggle of a mother to not only survive but to make sure her child lived too. What she didn't know then was that same mother and her husband would become Twilight and the First. When the couple had mentioned that they were originally from Nerima and that they planned to return there someday, she never figured she would be here before them. When they were forced to flee from China or risk enslavement by the Dark Lord Herb of Musk, Nerima was the place she had chosen. Of course she had not realized she would be living in the home of one of her old students or that she would be teacher to the finest Hunter packs she had seen. Warriors all, both of the packs under her control in Nerima were made up of women. One of which consisted of her great granddaughter Shampoo and her Amazon sisters, Perfume and Lotion. The other was made of three blood sisters, children of one of the finest families in Nerima, the Tendos. They were also daughters of her old students Kimiko and Silk.   
Her musings were cut short when she was interrupted by a sing song voice speaking passable Japanese," Any news from the Sisters, great-grandmother?"   
The speaker was a busty girl who had long brown tresses that she tied in a braid hanging to her waist. Perfume was not her blood, but as far as Cologne was concerned she was family.   
"Just received the 'Clear' sign, Perfume. The sisters were extremely efficient."   
"They are good at what they do. It helps that they were prepared from childhood for it. That father of theirs is one of the most dedicated males I know both to the Art and to making sure his children are the best at it." Although shorter and younger looking than the other two girls, Perfume was the eldest of Shampoo's pack. A thoughtful, methodical girl who used her brains more often than the battle axes she carried to solve most of the on the spot problems they encountered on a Hunt.   
"Yes, odd as it may seem, he says his best friend told him to do so to fulfil a promise."   
"Must be some promise to cause him to drive his children that hard. I mean he is a pussycat who has little control over his emotions outside the Dojo. I mean if Silk wasn't around he would be a wreck of a man, forever unstable and moaning over the loss of his first wife. If I didn't know better I would say the girls were Amazons in upbringing. Wonder what the promise is?"   
Khu Lon was startled at the fact that Perfume expressed the idea that the Tendos were Amazons, she and many on the council, had the same thought a lot of times. Perfume was showing all the traits of a fine thinker and leader. If Shampoo were not her chosen heir, she would have chosen this lovely young woman as the next Matriarch, even with her condition. She would make nice Hand of Wisdom for Shampoo.   
" Who knows what runs through the heads of males? Although your other thought has run through my head as well. They would make fine Amazons. Akane is, even though her mother chose to exile herself and the others would be if they chose to exercise that right."   
Before the conversation went any further, they were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Standing in the entrance to the Tendo Dojo were two people who looked like they had been travelling for days but still had the proud bearing of the Samurai of old. The woman was dressed in a Kimono that looked like it had seen better days and yet on her it made her look regal. The sharpest feature about her was the red tresses that framed the grayest eyes that Perfume had ever seen. The eyes seemed familiar to Cologne. The man was a different matter all together. Dressed in a martial arts gi that had turned yellow with age, his head was covered with a bandana and he wore glasses for his eyes. The only thing that was incongruous about the couple was the fact that both of them carried cloth wrapped bundles that looked suspiciously like swords and the fact that their stance gave away that they were warriors.   
"Pardon us for inquiring, but are you Cologne, The Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku Amazons?" The voice was what finally snapped Cologne out of her shock.   
"Nodoka"   
"It's been a long time, Elder. A really long time but I finally wanted to come home and settle down. It just so happened that Genma here agreed with me. Although I must admit I never expected to see you here."   
Puzzled at the scene in front of her, Perfume raised an eyebrow at her great-grandmother in question. She suspected that she was missing the biggest clue of the picture. She also wondered why her hair was standing on end whenever she looked at the woman named Nodoka.   
"Perfume, child how well do you know the history of the Order? Do you know who started it?"   
"No one knows their real identities they are simply Twilight and the First. You know that, great-grandmother."   
"Actually Perfume, I knew. I just never revealed it. Perfume of Joketsuzoku meet Saotome Nodoka and Genma, Twilight and First as you know them."   
********************************************************************** 


	3. Reunions and Revelations

Chapter 2:  
  
There often can be a vast difference in what is assumed and what actually is. So too is the case with legends. Imagination is one of the distinguishing characteristics of humanity and often what is imagined to be true of a legend is not always the truth. Perfume had just been introduced to two people who for a large part of her life, were her idols and they were nothing like she had imagined. She had imagined First to be this dashing hero type. So it was understandable if she was a little too shocked to be more coherent than, " First is an old fat man."  
  
Even the fact that her great-grandmother found the entire situation extremely hilarious and was busy cackling away didn't do much to snap the Amazon's trance. The fact that Nodoka was trying hard not to laugh or that Genma was busy scratching his bald head while saying, "Huh?" didn't do much for the Amazon either. No what did break her trance though was Genma turning into a Giant Panda before her eyes. That broke Perfume right out of her zombie state.  
  
Perfume looked at all of them while saying in a calm rational voice, "First is an old man who turns into a Giant Panda" . Then her mind shut down and she fainted. She was caught before she hit the ground by the Panda but that was only because Cologne and Nodoka were laughing their heads off. Finally controlling herself Nodoka told Genma, " Carry her in, Anata and place her on the couch. I am sure she will thank you for it later. Not to mention she would be less likely to pass out again when she wakes if she is not in your arms. That place is reserved for me."  
  
Growling under his breath Genma shuffled forward to do as his wife asked. He never could understand why water always found him at inopportune moments. There was a board stuck behind his head asking the question, "Why me? I am just a cute cuddly panda." This only seemed to make the women who had just controlled their laughter to lose it again.  
  
It was a while before Nodoka looked up at the imposing old style home. It held a lot of memories for her of times when the Tendos and the Saotomes gathered here to celebrate bonds of friendship and family. She and Silk had been there with Kimiko for the birth of Kasumi. She remembered the last time she had been in this house, when both she and Silk had been pregnant. Of course they had not known the sex of the children. Kimiko was the one who suggested that if the Saotome child was male perhaps he could unite the two families by marrying one of the Tendo daughters. If the third Tendo child was male and the Saotome child was female, he would take up the obligation. Of course at that time it had just been the fond wishes of the mothers. Now, she was looking forward to meeting her old friends. People she considered family.  
  
"I hope you will grant me an explanation to that curious curse your husband has picked up. I gather you were in Qinghai and managed to run into Jusenkyo."  
  
"Huh? Did you say something, Elder? I am sorry. I was not paying attention. Seeing this old house has brought back memories of friends and family. Did you know that when I was younger, I spent a lot of time here along with Kimiko and Silk. In fact I was there when Kimiko finally accepted Silk into the house. It was one long day and at the end of it most of us were in tears but they are happy memories. It will be good to see them."  
  
Cologne had suspected that the Tendos and Saotomes were friends the minute Nodoka and Genma had shown up on the doorstep. She never suspected they were that close friends and that the Saotomes had been out of touch for so long that they did not know that Kimiko Tendo was no longer a part of the mortal world. She was interrupted by the sound of a loud scream in what to both women sounded like a man's voice. The scream didn't startle them as much as the fact that a man was screaming.  
  
Nodoka muttered under her breath while running indoors with Cologne, "Genma no Baka! You just had to stay in Panda form, didn't you?"  
  
The sight that met them was, well hilarious. Perfume as expected was out cold on the couch. Soun Tendo was standing behind his wife, Silk since Genma was trying to enfold his best friend in a hug. The fact that he was in Panda form and looked nothing like Saotome Genma didn't register with the head of the Saotome clan. Even the fact that he was waving a sign that said, "Tendo-kun, I am Genma." didn't really make him think. The sound of a katana being loosened from its scabbard, now that registered with him instantly. It was something that he feared more than fighting a Vampire Lord. Hearing that was a part of his daily existence.   
  
"Genma no baka! What have I told you about staying in your panda form? I do believe you have a flask of hot water in the back pack you lug around."  
  
Soun Tendo was just as surprised as his wife when someone he had never hoped to see again, was standing in his doorway berating the Giant Panda. That the lecture was having an effect was clearly seen in the sad droopy eyed posture of the animal. The sign, 'Yes, dear.' only reinforced that conclusion.   
  
Finally finding his voice Soun said,"No..Nodoka, is that really you?"  
  
"Been a long time, ne, Tendo-kun. How have you been, Silk-chan?" Silk looked at the woman in front of her comparing her to the woman, she had last seen more than eighteen years ago. The bright red hair had turned darker with time to a nice auburn. The grey eyes, though were still as sharp as ever.   
  
Silk folded her arms across her ample chest. she looked every inch the mistress of the house."Yes, it has. We had given up hope of ever seeing you again after we received that letter from Genma."   
  
"Ano, you must understand I was quite lost at the time. I had been bitten and the only reason I survived was because of Genma and of course, Ranma. Society does not look kindly on survivors of Vampire attacks you know that."  
  
"Nodoka, we didn't care. You should have come home. Instead we found out about Ranma's birth from Elder Cologne here. You should have come home to family. Still you are here now. It is good to see you again, old friend. I bid you welcome into our home." Silk bowed as she said this in the traditional manner of the Japanese.  
  
"I see you finally learned that greeting." Nodoka had a twinkle in her eye as the greeting brought back old memories of the times she and Kimiko had tried to teach a then twenty year old Chinese girl some Japanese traditions.  
  
" That goes double for me too, Nodoka although I am curious as to where your husband and son are. Did they not come with you ? I was hoping Genma would one day join me again at the Shoji board."  
  
"My son should be here in a few days. We parted ways while traveling in China. He wanted time to adjust to recent changes in his life. He felt it would be best if he did so on his own. It has been about eighteen months since I last saw him. I expect he will be here by this weekend. As for my husband..."   
  
Nodoka looked at Soun, who was nodding his head at her explanation of the whereabouts of her son. With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she smiled at him, before facing the Giant Panda that was trying to sneak out of the room. "Well, Anata, you want to do the honors or should I?"   
  
Realizing he was caught, the Panda went to the backpack he had discarded when he entered the room. The other people, except Cologne and Nodoka, just watched the curious actions of the Panda. Why was the Panda traveling with Nodoka and why was it carrying a backpack and why was she calling him darling. This was really puzzling to Soun and Silk. That is until the Panda pulled out a flask and proceeded to douse himself with the hot water it contained. One instant transformation later, instead of the Panda, there stood Saotome Genma. Soun's reaction was instantaneous and easy to predict. He did as Perfume did and decided not to tax his brain. He fainted. Genma again ran forward to catch his friend this time just as he had with Perfume and since the couch was occupied he merely lifted the other man up over his shoulder and carried him in to the main bedroom that was located downstairs. Silk though realized instantly what had happened. Her reaction was one word.  
  
"Jusenkyo."  
  
"Ah, I see you have not forgotten the cursed springs. Yes it does appear that the Saotomes visited the Qinghai province, our old homeland. I was just asking Nodoka for an explanation of that when we were interrupted by these two males and their silly games."  
The last was said with a smile to take the sting out of the words.  
  
Looking at the departing figures of the two males, Silk said, "I think the explanation can wait till my husband regains his senses and the girls are back. This is something everyone in the family should hear unless you want the same kind of misunderstandings happening again."  
  
"Quite right. I do have one question though, you said girls. I take it your child was a girl."  
  
"Akane. That's her name and let me tell you it suits her to a tee. She may be my child but she inherited Kimiko's temper. Scarlet makes a nice name for a hot blood" The mention of her co-wifes name brought a pained look onto Silk's face. A look Nodoka noticed.  
  
"Silk, where is Kimiko? She is well, isn't she?" If the silence was any indication, Nodoka had the growing suspicion that she was not going to like the answer. Still if Silk could not answer perhaps Cologne would. Turning, she raised a questioning eyebrow at the Elder.  
Cologne merely gestured to the door of the Dojo. That only made Nodoka more anxious. Still she hoped the reply merely meant that Kimiko was perhaps practicing in the Dojo.  
  
Hesitantly she slid the door open and stopped in shock at the small shrine. It had a picture of her best friend and it told her all she needed to know. The katana slid from her fingers as she herself dropped down to her knees. She didn't notice the other two women following her in. It was a long while before she spoke again.  
  
"When and how?"  
  
"It will be eleven years come the Tuesday of next week. A Vampire Lord attacked Nerima about twelve years ago. Only he was driven back by the Nerima pack of that time. Soun was one of the leaders of the pack. Called himself Lord of the Darkness, did this Gemma . He swore revenge on each of them who had stopped him. The thing we don't know is how did he find out who each of them was. Somehow he did and each Hunter lost someone close to him. I guess Kimiko was chosen because she was the one alone on the way back from the grocers that night. Akane was not well and I had stayed back to take care of her." Silk stifled a sob before continuing with her story. " By the time we got there she was gone. There was no trace of either her or the Vampire Lord. The pack went on a hunt but it was as if he had disappeared. We have not seen or heard from him since."  
  
Nodoka was silent for a while thinking something over before she asked Silk, " I am sorry to ask you this but please know I don't mean to be impolite. Did you ever find a body?"  
  
Silk gasped at the question but still answered her friend," Never."  
  
"Then she's alive. Different probably but alive. Especially if I suspect this Vampire Lord is the one I think he is. He probably is keeping her as a slave or as an experiment"  
  
"What?" Silk and Cologne both were startled both by the news as well as the certainty behind Nodoka's statement. Cologne knew her as the one called Twilight but had she said anything to Silk was a question that Nodoka needed answered. So she looked straight at the Elder with a question in her eyes. Cologne shook her head.   
  
Nodoka nodded and then turning to her old friend she said, " Do you know where I have been and what I have been doing all these years? I know Genma told Soun and you about the attack on me and that I had survived.. What we did n't say was that it left me changed. Well you know that after my mother died, just before Ranma was born, I was sole heir to the family fortune. After the attack Genma and I decided that we would use that wealth to create an organization that would protect innocents from the Vampires without having to pay exorbitant fees to bounty hunters. It was fortunate for us that Elder Cologne suggested a way to do this without announcing who we were to the world. That fortune was extensive and made it possible for us to travel from country to country looking for martial arts masters for Ranma. While he learnt, we , that is Genma and myself searched the countryside for the volunteers and the locations that would hold future guild offices. A little seed money from us, a lot from dead Vampire Lords and there we have the Order of the Hunter."   
  
"For the first few years when Ranma was still young it would often be that we would leave him in the care of his teacher while we went on a long Hunt. It was easier then to make sure Ranma was as far away from us when were on a Hunt. Now it is often the case that he makes sure we are far away when he is on a Hunt."  
  
Silk looked at woman before her, trying to accommodate the changes in her to the memory of the woman who was the embodiment of the perfect Japanese wife in her youth. Now it was like she was more Amazon than Japanese while Silk herself was more Japanese than Amazon.  
  
"Okay let me get this straight, you started the Order of the Hunter because you were attacked and you have been hunting Vampires for eighteen years and your son is doing the same thing. Him I can understand, he is young, trained for it and is getting revenge for the attack on you. You were lucky to survive the first time. Why would you want to go back to putting yourself where they can finish the job. You were never a warrior, Nodoka. Sure you knew basic forms in the Naginata and Kendo but you never showed any desire to learn more than that."  
  
"Because of the one reason I refused to come back here before. I changed in the attack. What have you heard about Twilight?"  
  
"Twilight..rumors say she is half human half vampire. Said to be immune to garlic and silver but not immune to sunlight."  
  
"All true, I can't ever get a good tan. Oh and I also have enhanced speed and strength and am quite good at killing Vampire Lords. Luckily the one consolation I have is that I have no Thirst for human blood even though I have the teeth." As she said this she opened her mouth revealing wicked looking fangs and then her eyes changed. What had been a striking gray became slitted like a cat and more silver than gray.  
  
"You, ....you are Twilight. Wait a minute, if you are Twilight is Genma the First?"  
  
"I told you I was and yes. Tell me about it I heard some of the rumors. I keep looking around for the dashing hero instead all I found was a Panda. Doesn't do much for me. Still he has stuck with me through thick and thin and that does the world for me. That man can appear to be begging for his life one minute and the next minute he is standing over the ashes of his enemy. Anyway as I was saying Kimiko may well be alive but the strong possibility is that she will be like me or in the worst case completely like them. But the worst thing is she would retain an identity of herself through whatever she is put through. Vampire Lords often have the ability to control the mind fo someone they sire. The control is only broken by death. We need to make sure of some things before mounting a rescue. So till then not a word to Soun or Genma. or the children."  
  
"I agree with you there child, no need to get their hopes up. Especially the older girls. They may be well adjusted but they have felt her loss more deeply than they show." Cologne said as she absorbed the implications of what Nodoka had revealed. "So how long before this can be confirmed and you have the information you need?"  
  
"I need to wait for Ranma. He is the only one I know that I would dare to send on this mission and he is also the only one with a chance of survival."  
  
" Why him? Is he that good a hunter?" Silk was curious about the boy that Nodoka had so much faith in. He seemed to have grown to be a perfect man among men the way Nodoka described him.  
  
Nodoka's face fell at the question and she suppressed a sigh before telling Silk, "That is a question that is best answered by Ranma himself."  
  
"Fair enough. I had turned on the furo for the girls. Mow I suggest you take a bath and wash some of the road of you and then rest. You look like you have been traveling a while. I am sure you could use the rest."  
  
"I think I should and I'll drag Genma along to give me a backrub. His backrubs are to die for." Suiting thought to action Nodoka disappeared into the room Genma had been in. Moments later the couple were on their way to the furo.  
  
'She 's changed more than I thought possible. Before she would never mention something like that.' Rousing herself from her thoughts she asked Cologne, "Elder, did the girls call in?"  
  
"Ah yes, the Sisters should be back in another half an hour at the most. They were going to drop off Sayuri at her place and then reassure her parents again that their daughter was going to be okay. I sent Sayuri's parents home with Shampoo and Lotion just to be on the safe side. They should all be getting back soon."  
  
Akane's voice calling out, 'Tadaima' told them that the girls had indeed arrived back home. Time to explain their guests to the girls. The introduction could wait till morning, not that they were many hours left of this long night. Silk knew that until Ranma got here they would not even think about telling the girls but it was all she could do to keep her growing excitement. Kimiko-chan could be alive. Now if only Ranma would get here quickly.  
  
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Much as I would like to say I do not make mistakes, I know that is not true. I do quite often make a whopper of a doozy. I had made one today. I was on my way to Nerima, I promise I was. Only I came across this town where one of the Hunters had been missing for a while and they were organizing a search party. Naturally I made an offer to help which was accepted.   
  
We even found the Hunter and he was hale and hearty for the moment and actually moving fast for a normal human. I say for the moment because behind him was a massive swarm of bees whose hive the poor sap had disturbed. The end result was I had to take the brunt of the bee attack while the rest of the Hunters escaped. Let me tell you one bee sting is a pin prick, a hundred should have put me in a coma if I were human.   
  
Luckily I am not but five hundred odd bee stings can be a bit much even for a fast healing Daywalker like myself. I was laid up for a day in this town. Add to that the fact that all the young ladies in that town seemed to want to bandage me or comfort me or brrr.... Believe it or not that actually made things worse. Women are scary, that way I tell you. Well except mom maybe but Oyaji always grumbles about her. So maybe it should be women are always dangerous except to their children.  
  
So I had to use my secret weapon something I take great pains to avoid to sneak out of there. I hope that by the time I get to Nerima I dry off. This is embarrassing. It took me another 3 hours to reach the outskirts of Nerima by which time the sun was up and it was close to breakfast time. Oh I had also been splashed by water another three times. So by the time I was at the gate to the city I was spitting mad and frustrated. I had used up the last of the hot water I carried. I would have to hunt hot water before meeting my parents and the Tendos.  
  
Nerima was like any other city except it had this wall surrounding the city and the gates were manned by hunters. Entry was easy. All I needed to do was show my Order badge. I was concentrating on finding my way as quickly as possible to the Tendo Dojo and was not really paying attention to my surroundings perhaps that is why I never noticed this person sneak on me but I was startled out of my skin when I felt a bony hand on my shoulder. Turning to face my attacker I was confronted by a person holding a skeleton. He was in his late twenties or early thirties I think, wore glasses and seemed to carry a skeleton. Well I can't say I haven't met weirder people.  
  
"Are you lost, young lady?"  
  
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Tofu had been in Nerima since the time he had started practicing medicine. Though he had studied modern medicine it was usually the case that he used the teachings of the ancients in Shiatsu and Ayurveda. Early mornings were usually spent meditating and practicing his Art. It was the only time he had to himself in an otherwise long day.  
  
This morning was no different than any other for the good doctor of Nerima . However even his concentration was broken by the arrival of a strange young girl in his yard. She was short, had the reddest hair he had seen and the eyes so blue they rivaled the ocean. She also was over developed for her height. Dressed as she was in a Chinese style clothing consisting of a black silk shirt closed with wooden togs and black pants ending in what looked to be like leather boots. The final item of clothing was a long leather coat. She looked lost in a sea of clothing too big for her. The fact that she was standing in his yard, soaking wet only added to the curious picture that was created.  
  
Her stance though was that of a warrior further reinforced by the fact that he had seen the shoulder holsters and the katana that was peeked out the back of the long coat. Deciding to test her, he grabbed his skeleton, Betty-chan and sneaked up on her. Her reaction was impressive in that she leaped quite some distance before landing.  
  
Tofu realized he must look silly holding a skeleton, so quickly asked, " Are you lost, young lady?"   
  
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If there is one thing I hate it is being called young lady. Hey I may have adjusted to this stupid thing but still I don't have to like it. The last person to call me young lady was dead before he knew it. Although he was a vampire and this one was clearly a human. I could smell the difference.  
  
"I am not a young lady and yes I am lost. Do you always sneak up on people with a skeleton? Or was I singled out for this honor."  
  
"Sure you are at least where I stand. Sorry about sneaking up on you but well you carry a strange aura about you. I seem to detect three forms of energy and being a doctor, that interests me. Besides you were standing in my yard looking lost. Oh forgive me where are my manners. I am Ono Tofu , a doctor."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Ono-sensei. And I am sorry for trespassing, I am trying to find the Tendo dojo and I seem to have lost my way. I am Saotome Ranma. And I still stay I am not a young lady. I can prove it to you. Can you lend me some hot water?"  
  
"Hot water, you say. This sounds interesting. Come on inside while I get the water. And call me Tofu every one does. Ono-sensei was my father. "  
  
As he turned away, I thought I heard him mumble under his breath, 'Hot water. Could it be? Jusenkyo but I thought it was a myth.'   
  
I looked around the place while I awaited his return. It looked like any other doctor's clinic. Only on the wall was a collection of photographs that showed the doctor with an older man. Must be his father, I thought. Curiosity satisfied I turned away to study the degree certificates that the doctor held. My interest picked up when I saw the one on Ayurveda and Shiatsu. Herbal medicine studied in ancient India and pressure points interesting. Perhaps the good doctor would be useful in curing me of my Thirst.  
  
My musings were interrupted by the return of the doctor. "Tofu-sensei, have you worked any on vampire attack cases?"  
  
"A few. I have never been able to save them and most were too badly infected to return to a normal life. I have been working on a counter to the virus. An extract of garlic that reduces the necessity of the individual to look for blood. The problem is that it is addictive and the virus adapts. In time the user will not feel anything. Why do you ask?"  
  
"Oh nothing much. In my line of work I have often had to put down a victim and I was wondering if there was any cure."  
  
"Nothing I have come across till now but I am keeping my fingers crossed." I nodded my head at that. I hoped so too for my sake. I would die before I let this control me.  
  
"Here you go, Saotome-san. The hot water you wanted."   
  
"I would like it if you would call me Ranma. Saotome -san is my father."  
  
"Fair enough, Ranma-san. Well where is this proof you offered."  
  
"Right here." The change was instantaneous. One minute I am this short redhead the next I was me again. Around six feet tall, check, black hair tied in a ponytail, c heck and no breasts, check. I looked up at the doctor only to find him staring blankly at me.  
  
"Tofu-sensei are you all right?" My voice seemed to break his trance.  
  
"So the legends of Jusenkyo are true."   
  
"Yeah, they are. I was forced into a spring not by my own choice. The only consolation was I dragged my attacker in as well. That baka was not pleased."  
  
"I would never have believed it if I had not seen it with my eyes. So that explains two of the energy patterns I sensed in you. Male and female. I wonder what the third is."  
  
I almost panicked at that. People don't react well to the fact that I am half vampire and I like to keep the friends I have. There were so few of them.   
  
"Huh, well , you see, perhaps someday I can tell you that but till then please give me my privacy."   
  
He seemed to accept that explanation for now but I knew I would be confiding in him sooner or later. Still I needed to get to the Tendo household and the sooner I left the quicker my stomach would be fed. I could already hear it rumbling.  
  
"Tofu-sensei, I really need to be going. However I would like to come back sometime to talk to you about a problem I have. So if you could please direct me to the Tendo Dojo., I would be much obliged and thanks for the water. I would much rather prefer to meet the Tendos in my true form."  
  
"Oh no thanks required, Ranma. I take it this is your true form. You can drop by anytime for a visit. The Dojo is just three blocks form here on your right. It is the largest compound around. So you can't miss it."  
  
"Well then see you later. And please don't mention my problem to anyone."  
  
"What problem? I don't seem to recall anything."  
  
I had to chuckle at that and he joined me. It had been a while since I made a new friend and the doctor seemed like he would understand his other problem as well.. Perhaps life here in Nerima may not be so bad after all. Hoisting my pack I made my way down the street. The Dojo was right where the Doc put it. I could see it from here. What I didn't see was an old lady washing the street outside her home. The results were predictable. Instant busty redhead. If the old woman noticed she didn't say anything.   
  
I though was too pissed. Why does water never let me stay male for more than ten minutes. Is that too much to ask? At least I can work on my frustrations with some practice in the Dojo. I made my way to the gate and entered the compound. The sight in front of me was something I had seen everyday of my life. My parents were busy trying to kill each other in sparring. Mom was faster and stronger than Oyaji but Pops was more wily and cunning. All in all a pretty even match until of course, Oyaji overextended on the spinning punch. His reward was a well placed sword butt to his belly followed by a hit to the chin that picked him up and tossed him into the wall. Serves the baka right. Always moaning over the fact that women are weaker. As if mother was not proof that, that particular theory was not true. Still so caught up in watching the fight was I that the girl's voice startled me.  
"Hey, who are you?"  
  
She was about my age maybe a year older. short brown hair in a pageboy style dressed in shorts and a T-shirt that ended well above the shorts and was tight enough to display her womanly charms. She was not the only one looking in my direction. It looked like the whole family was gathered in the courtyard watching the sparring match. I could see another five girls, a couple I assumed to be the Tendos and a wrinkled old troll on a walking stick. She and I think it was a she, was looking at me like she knew me. The troll I mean. Of course everyone else also was looking at me except the people who could explain this to the family, my parents. They were too engrossed in their courtship dance as I called it.  
  
Looking back at the one who had questioned me, I said, " I am Saotome Ranma. Sorry about barging in like this."  
  
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	4. First Impressions Part 1

****

Chapter 3:

Nabiki Tendo valued few things in the world. The only things that really mattered to her were family, sleep and information in that order. So getting up early after a long night she spent hunting bloodsucking supernatural beings was not high on her list of 'things to do'. She doubted that she would ever add that particular thing to her list. She left that kind of stuff for Kasumi to fulfill just like she left breaking concrete blocks to Akane to fulfill. What perverse pleasure her sister got from taking her frustrations out on harmless blocks of concrete she would never know but she was glad to leave it to her even when it cost the family an arm and a leg. Thank god that her father was earning enough from his classes and the three of them were pulling in their own pay. No Nabiki much preferred mental challenges to physical ones. Which of course didn't mean that she didn't practice her martial arts as diligently as her sisters but she also liked her books and her favorite hobby was gathering information. She prided herself on knowing more about the things that mattered than anyone else around.

However today her luck had deserted her since morning. First she had been rudely awakened from a nice dream by the loud sounds that usually accompanied the sparring matches between Akane and Shampoo. She found it really funny how those two got along. They were two of the most egoistic people she had met when it came to martial arts yet they were the best of friends off the practice mats. Still now that she was awake she could make out that it certainly was not an over developed purplehead or her tomboy sister who were creating the racket. Those two did most of their destruction in the Dojo not while hanging up in mid-air without suspension wires. 

The culprits were two people she had never seen before in her life. A couple actually, the woman looked like a typical Japanese wife, complete with kimono and obi except she had auburn hair and gray eyes. The man was dressed in an old faded gi and had what appeared to be a bandana wrapped around his head to hide the fact that he had no hair. Since it looked like she was not about to get any sleep she decided she might as well join the rest of the family in watching the match. From the level of skill that was being put on display she was sure she could probably learn something.

By the time she had freshened up and made her way down, the match had proceeded from the early testing and probing of defenses to full out attacks and from where she stood they looked to be full force blows. Something that Nabiki had never seen in a sparring match. Perhaps it was not a sparring match after all. So why were two people trying to kill each other in the Tendo backyard and more importantly why was no one doing anything about it?

She was just about to voice the question to her father, when a voice answered the question for her. 

"Good morning, Biki-chan. I see that the din got to you as well and before you ask they are actually sparring and they are your parent's guests."

There was only one person who could sneak up on her whenever she wanted. It was something she had learned early on in life with the Amazons. While she was the undisputed master in stealth among the Tendo Sisters and even the better of Lotion and Shampoo, Perfume had her beat in that department. So she was not really surprised to find Perfume was standing next to her watching the couple spar. Specifically, she was watching the woman.

"All well and good, Per-chan but who are they? And how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that." 

"But Biki means beauty in your language and you are that and more. Anyway back to our guests when I met them this morning, Silk said that they were old friends of your family, the Saotomes, Nodoka and Genma. In fact they are members of the only family other than yours that practices the Musabetsu Kakuto Ryu. Privately, and I need a promise that this remains between us, she is Twilight and he is First. Great-grandmother introduced me to them as such."

"What!!" Nabiki looked at Perfume once with wide eyes, then at the dueling couple, then back at Perfume. Perfume just nodded her head in confirmation.

"Sshhh, keep your voice down. Great-grandmother said not to tell anyone. I know, all those rumors regarding who they actually were. Not one was close to the actual people. No one would believe us if we said that Twilight and First were a middle aged couple. That's not the only odd thing about them. He.."

"Hang on, it looks like we got a new guest." Nabiki was pointing to a girl standing by the gate to the compound, watching the match. She was shorter than everyone there, barely clearing five feet almost childlike in stature. Her pretty face was framed by red bangs that added a certain charm to her features. The unusual thing was that she had those glorious tresses up in a warrior braid that reached the middle of her shoulder blades. There was nothing childlike in her chest development and if Nabiki had not been a well adjusted individual she would have a severe case of chest envy. As pretty as she was, the way she was standing, it put Nabiki on the alert and one glance at Perfume confirmed that she had noticed the same thing. The girl was a warrior, through and through.

"Be careful Nabiki, this one would surprise anyone. She smells different. I have smelt this before. I can't place it yet."

"Hey this is me you are talking to. I am always careful but anyway watch my back." Nabiki winked at Perfume before sauntering off to talk to the new arrival.

"Not as careful as you think, Biki-chan, not as careful as you think else I would not have to save your butt from some of the more bizarre mischief it gets into. Not that it is not a nice butt. And I always watch your backside." 

As a reply, Nabiki wiggled said derriere back at Perfume much to her friend's amusement and joy, before continuing her march towards the redhead. As she neared the redhead she could hear her muttering, ' Baka, sure deserved that hit. He should know by now that Mom is faster than that.' This only seemed to whet her appetite more. It seemed that the redhead knew the Saotomes.

"Hey, who are you?"

To say the girl was startled was an understatement but she was quick to recover her bearings. She spared a quick look, directed at the others in the courtyard before she looked back at Nabiki and said, "I am Saotome Ranma. Sorry about barging in like this."

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The name Daywalker has often driven the Vampires I hunt to tears. I have watched grown vampires breakdown and plead for their lives when faced by me. Today was the first time I saw a grown human cry at the name Ranma Saotome. There I was, in my female form, wet and miserable and I had to hold onto this gentleman to prevent him from falling. All the while he was busy bawling into my shirt saying, " At last welcome to the Tendo Dojo. The promise can be kept, Son. Happy day."

My only consolation was that at least he was bawling because he was happy but everything else didn't make sense. Still first things first I extracted myself from that stifling embrace. Why would Tendo-san know of the promise between Oyaji and myself? All I knew was my father had extracted my word of honor that I would be at the Tendo Dojo in Nerima city around the time I turned eighteen. He never mentioned why I had to be there. And why was I getting the feeling that I would not like the reason I was to be here? 

Of course all of that went out the window when the girl next to me leaned forward and gave my breasts a nice squeeze.

"Daddy, 'he' is a girl if what I am feeling are real and our guest here has no cross dressing tendencies." 

The girl exuded sexiness without even trying and on any other day I would have admired her sleek form and proportionate curves. Of course her clothing or rather her minimum clothing helped that image. Right now, though I was not very well disposed to do that what with the squeezing I was getting.

"Could you not do that, please unless you want me to return the favor? "

The look in her eyes was priceless. She was not used to people giving her a taste of her own medicine but my words got the job done and she stopped with the squeezing to my great relief. My female form is very sensitive to touch for some odd reason. It wouldn't do to get aroused on my first day in the house.

"Hey I had to know for sure that you were female, Ranma-san." She spread her hands and bowed her head as if in apology but the smirk that was on her lips and the mischief in her eyes told me she was not in the least repentant. Quick on the uptake and faster wit. I liked that in a woman. 

My voice was just as pleasant as if I was discussing a common happening. "Well at least you know they are real and not silicon. As for your reasons, I know at least one other way that can satisfy your curiosity without touching me. No Adam's apple. But I suppose you couldn't overlook opportunity to see how I would react, Miss …" 

She started at that and replied without thinking," Nabiki. Tendo Nabiki." 

Before I could say anything more, the other girls interrupted us. Suddenly I was the sole center of attention. The sparring match was forgotten both the physical and the verbal one I had going with Nabiki.

"I am sorry but you have me at a disadvantage. You know my name but I don't know any of yours except Nabiki-san here."

"Oh My! Where are my manners? I am Tendo Kasumi. This here is my youngest sister, Akane. Next to her is Xian Pu. Besides Nabiki is Perfume and last but not the least is Lotion. They are .."

"Let me guess, Amazons." The hair should have been a dead giveaway. I mean how often have I come across purple hair or green. Maybe I was more tired than I thought if I was missing obvious clues like that. 

"Aiyah, you know of Amazons. How? Chinese amazons no longer live in China only in Nerima." Shampoo was surprised because according to her great-grandmother all the Amazons were evacuated from Qinghai when they left and she was sure her great-grandmother would not make a mistake regarding that.

"Let's just say I ran into some on a hunt or more accurately some of them ran into me." All of them looked surprised at that. It left me wondering what I had said wrong this time. Before I could elaborate or they could ask me more, my attention was drawn to a pair of familiar gray eyes, eyes that have always welcomed me and showered me with love and acceptance. Moms are sure the best cure for depression and loneliness and just about any other ailment I could think of. My mom was no different. Both my parents had finally noticed that I was standing in the doorway. One look at me and Mom realized I didn't like the position I was currently in. I hate to be the center of attention, especially female attention. I can handle the opposite sex one on one but a whole horde and I get he urge to run for the hills. But I needn't have worried. My mom was coming to my rescue. So was Oyaji actually.

He interrupted Tendo-san before he could say anything," Ah, Tendo-kun I see you have met Ranma. Ranma this is my old friend Tendo Soun and that is his wife, Silk." He was pointing at the couple I had assumed were the Tendos.

"And this is the Elder Cologne, Matriarch of the Amazons." Standing next to my mother on top of a staff was the person I had assumed was a troll. I was glad I kept my observations to myself. Her aura was stronger than anyone else I had met in my life and something told me she could teach me more lessons than all my masters put together. She also was scarier than most Vampires I met.

"Welcome, Ranma. We have been looking forward to meeting you especially after your mother here kept singing your praises to both me and the Elder Cologne." 

"Indeed, child although you are slightly different from what I remember. That is understandable though being that I saw you when you were a baby." As she said this she raised an eyebrow at my mother in question. My mother just nodded her head slightly in answer to the unspoken question.

I bowed to all of the elders, as was proper and said, " I thank you for opening the doors of your home to me. Hello Mom. Good to see you. Hey Oyaji, I see you have put on weight."

"Ranma, show some respect to your father, boy. And I am not putting on weight. I just am well built." I rolled my eyes at that and looked intently at him. He seemed to have lost some more of the little hair he had but apart from that he looked just like the man who taught me my Art.

Tendo-san though looked shell shocked and started blubbering," Ranma is a Girl. SAOTOME, what is the meaning of this? What of the promise? You said everything would work out."

"It will, Tendo-kun, trust me. Now come let us go for a walk while I explain." Oyaji was casting anxious looks in Mom's as well as my direction and dragging his friend off. For someone who had not seen his heir in almost a year and a half, he sure was in a hurry to get away from me and that always starts my alarm bells ringing. A glance at Mom and the alarms were shooting off the scale.

"Why do I get the feeling that I am not going to like his explanation? Ofukuro, you know what that was all about?" 

"No, dear but Genma-baka has much to explain and I know just how to get it out of him." She was fingering her bundle unconsciously playing with the ties that held the cloth bundle closed. She wasn't the only one wondering about the promise. Silk-obasan was also busy glaring at the retreating back of her husband. 

All of which didn't really set my mind at ease nor for that matter ease the minds of the three Tendo girls who were looking at me with curious eyes. Oyaji just had to let slip that I was a boy when I was in female form. Life was getting back to normal far quicker than even I expected. Trust Oyaji to get me into trouble faster than you could spell the word.

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Cologne watched the by play and knew that both Nodoka and Silk would be busy questioning their husbands. She found the antics of the adults almost as amusing as the little scene between the middle Tendo daughter and Ranma. It would be up to her to take care of the other members of the clan and of course their guest. 

She could read 'his' aura and it was permeated by a certain wariness. She was sure that his curse had only increased his unease among humans. Even in his cursed form he seemed to be attracting admirers if the looks Lotion and Perfume were giving him were any indication. Heading off that would need a distraction. And then suddenly it hit her. The children in front of her were all martial artists.

"Ranma, your mother said you had been trained in the Art since you were a child. Perhaps you would like to see the Tendo Dojo. It is considered the finest in Nerima for training Hunters."

"Ah, that would be nice. I usually learnt outside the Dojo. It was rare for us to stay long at a Dojo. Are all of them your students?" Ranma was referring to the girls.

Cologne nodded her head and turned to lead the way. "The Amazons arrived in Nerima about ten years ago. We were not too many in number but Nerimans welcomed us and we have since then integrated into the city. As part of my duties I accepted the task of training the finest Hunters in Nerima which I am proud to say are these six girls."

Ranma looked at each of the girls at that. It was easy to see that each of them was well trained. Perhaps one of them would even be a good training partner for him at least until his usual partner found him. Besides a good spar was the right cure for taking his mind off whatever his father was cooking up for him.

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End file.
